Yobe Police Arrest Five Over Alleged Electricity Vandalism, Fraud

Yobe Police Arrest Five Over Alleged Electricity Vandalism, Fraud

By Njadvara Musa, Damaturu

The Yobe State Police Command has arrested five suspects in separate operations linked to the alleged vandalism of electricity infrastructure and fraud in Fika and Tarmuwa Local Government Areas of the state.

Police spokesperson, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued on Thursday in Damaturu, saying the operations were part of ongoing efforts to tackle criminal activities across the state.

According to him, operatives attached to the ‘A’ Division in Damaturu apprehended two suspects over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of food items from a shop along the Ajari–Gashua Road.

Mr Abdulkarim explained that the incident occurred on 31 July when an accomplice allegedly impersonated the complainant during a telephone conversation and deceitfully obtained a carton of OBA spaghetti and two half bags of parboiled rice.

He said detectives launched an investigation immediately after the case was reported, leading to the arrest of the suspects, who reside in the Zanna Zakarya and Waziri Ibrahim housing estates in Damaturu.

“The suspects admitted their involvement during interrogation, while the stolen food items were recovered and registered as exhibits,” he said.

The police spokesperson added that investigations were continuing to identify and arrest other persons connected with the alleged fraud before prosecution.

In a separate operation, Mr Abdulkarim said officers from the Fika Divisional Police Headquarters responded to a distress call on Thursday morning following reports that unknown persons had vandalised a community electricity transformer and stolen its power cable.

He said police personnel, working alongside local vigilantes and community members, tracked down a 23-year-old suspect who was allegedly found in possession of the stolen cable.

According to him, the suspect confessed to the offence, leading investigators to arrest two additional suspects believed to be connected to the crime.

“The stolen transformer cable has been recovered, while investigations are ongoing to uncover the full network behind the vandalism and ensure everyone involved is brought to justice,” he said.

The command also confirmed the arrest of a suspect in connection with an alleged assault in Tarmuwa Local Government Area.

Mr Abdulkarim said preliminary findings indicated that the suspect allegedly confronted another man after discovering him in what he described as a compromising situation with his wife near her parents’ residence in Danewa-Biriri village.

He alleged that the confrontation escalated, with the suspect shooting the victim with a bow and arrow, causing serious injuries.

The victim is currently receiving treatment at the Police Hospital in Damaturu, while the suspect remains in police custody pending the conclusion of investigations.

The spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police, Usman Kanfani Jibrin, urged residents to remain peaceful and always seek lawful means of resolving disputes instead of resorting to violence or taking the law into their own hands.